Homelessness in America - 3563 Words

Homelessness in America Social Program: Public Housing Introduction The issue of homelessness is one that I can relate to all too well. About twenty five years ago I found myself among the homeless. My story is simple, I had no formal education and was working a job making minimum wage. I couldn’t keep up with my rent and other living expenses and was finally evicted from my overpriced apartment. At the time I was on a waiting list for public housing for which there was at least a two year waiting period. The fact that I was single, with no children did not help me either. For a while I lived on the streets and in shelters, too ashamed to approach what family members I had with my problems knowing that they were†¦show more content†¦New York City had started to provide publicly funded housing before the act was created and was one of the programs that the government used as a model. According to Bauman, (1987)public housing was not originally created to help the â€Å"poorest of the poor,† it was created to house select segmen ts of the working class, specifically the â€Å"submerged middle class,† who were temporarily outside the labor market during the depression. These benefits were targeted to whites and helped move them to suburbs but kept blacks concentrated in cities and inner suburbs. The distribution of federal benefits made it possible for mostly white working-class people to move out of public housing, and contributed to a downward income shift in the public housing population after the 1940’s. These discriminatory practices were documented by (Massey Denton, 1993). At one time, public housing had been thought of as a solution for inner city poverty, isolation, and as a basic human necessity for less well-off people (Riis 1890; Marcuse 1986b (1978); Stegman 1990). It was believed by most advocates, that good housing was humane and necessary to the well-being of all people and would greatly improve the quality of life of the people who lived in slums. They envisioned public housi ng as a way of fulfilling part of the states responsibility to ensure that decent, affordable housing was available for all residents of the U.S. The first nationalShow MoreRelatedHomelessness In America1007 Words   |  5 PagesHomelessness in the United States is a serious problem that can be helped by giving homeless people opportunities to thrive in better conditions and/or communities. Although getting them off the streets is a huge step in the right direction, other actions need to be taken. Making sure they have somebody in their corner is a huge step in that process. There are 1,750,000 homeless people on the streets at this very moment. 1 in 30 children in the US, 40% of the homeless population are also VeteransRead MoreHomelessness in America Essay1414 Words   |  6 PagesHomelessness in America Here in Tahoe, we are lucky enough to experience a great quality of life, and only a few have to face the horrible life of poverty and homelessness. However, nationwide, even right outside the basin, homelessness is a growing epidemic across the country. There are many ways one can become homeless; for the most part poverty. There are also different concentrations of homeless in different types of terrain, such as urban or suburban areas. Last, there is the ever- growingRead MoreHomelessness in America Essay1172 Words   |  5 Pagesfor homeless programs (Romeo 1). The problem of homelessness and extreme poverty is not a new occurrence; but in past years more extreme measures have been taken to combat the issue as more people become homeless. Expensive social programs and housing developments for the homeless have been created to help battle the increasing issue. Homelessness is an expensive problem that will never end; furthermore, the condition of homeless people in America is af fected by the type of education they receiveRead More Homelessness in America Essay608 Words   |  3 Pages Homelessness is not something that was created over night; it has existed for a long time; often we choose not to see the homeless, or bother with them, so we look the other way.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Homelessness is not prejudice toward race, creed, or religion--it has no boundaries; all homeless people should not be stereotyped as being drug abusers or the mentally ill that have been released from mental hospitals. Homelessness is not a disease that a person can catch from bodily contact, but it certainlyRead More Homelessness in america Essay1369 Words   |  6 Pages Homelessness in America nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Here in Tahoe, we are lucky enough to experience a great quality of life, and only a few have to face the horrible life of poverty and homelessness. However, nationwide, even right outside the basin, homelessness is a growing epidemic across the country. There are many ways one can become homeless; for the most part poverty. There are also different concentrations of homeless in different types of terrain, such as urban or suburban areas. LastRead MoreHomelessness in America Essay1783 Words   |  8 PagesHomelessness in America Each country in the world is faced with various social issues that attract the interests of society and the government. Homelessness is an enormous issue that America has been dealing with for years. There are millions of people, including children, families, veterans, and the elderly who go day to day without food, water or any form of shelter. Mentally ill people also have a rough time out on the streets due to their state of confusion, which makes it dangerous for themRead MoreHomelessness in America Essay2028 Words   |  9 PagesAccording to Streetwise of Street News Services (2010), the first reported instances of homelessness dates as far back as 1640, in some of the larger cities in the original 13 colonies. At this time, there were wars being fought between settlers and Native Americans, and people were left with no shelter in both sides (Street News Service, 2010). Later, the industrial revolution caused more homelessness, industrial accidents left many former hard-work ing families with a dead provider, or with severeRead MoreEnding Homelessness in America634 Words   |  3 Pageseasily lead someone into a financial struggle. This can lead to homelessness. Homelessness is not a lifestyle that one would choose by choice. In 2003, there has been ... as many as 1.3 million Canadians that have experienced homelessness...at some point during the last 5 years. Affordable housing costs less on an annual basis compared to putting the homeless in prison. Canada was the last to have an action plan towards ending homelessness and as we are understanding; the prisons are being over-populatedRead MoreThe Effect of Homelessness on the Youth of America1086 Words   |  5 Pages There are millions of homeless youth in America. On any given night, you can find these children ducking into abandoned buildings, crammed up against alley dumpsters, curled inside the big yellow slide of a local playground. I imagine they are thankful for sleep, wary of a new day, but thankful nonetheless. Homelessness at such a young age if left alone, leads to increased rates of conflict. The more homeless youths now, the more our country as a whole will have to deal with divorce, mental illnessRead MoreThe Homelessness Population in America Essay1910 Words   |  8 Pagesto cultural normalization. The social issue researched will be homelessness and the impact along society. Homelessness is a social concern that raises issues for government officials, communities, and people along the community in so many ways. Every town or city is impacted by this liaison. In 2012 The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) calculated an estimate of at least 700,000 people enlisted as homeless in America. This has been an issue for centuries and is an everlasting effect